Immortal Laughter
by OneDayI'llFigureItOut
Summary: No matter where he is, no matter what he does, he can't escape the immortal words of his father.


This is the first prompt of a series of prompts I'm writing. The title of each piece is the prompt I was given. Hopefully you enjoy it.

**Disclaimer: **Don't own it

**Immortal Laughter**

The Great Spirit Agni had just finished his journey across the heavens as Fire Lord Zuko gathered himself to leave the day's final assembly. His magnificent robes flourished as he exited, passing the bowed members of his court. Murmurs of praise ghosted between the walls, just managing to tickle his ears.

"All hail the Fire Lord."

"Agni-blessed—."

"May his flame burn forever."

_Curse you._

His jaw clenched. Without comment, the Fire Lord swept into the hall, leaving behind him the honey-dipped lies of many of his men. His long strides and firm steps reverberated down the passage, inspiring respect and fear in all. Servants stopped and kowtowed as he passed, never allowing themselves to even look upon His Majesty; he was too far above them—blessed by the spirits, member of the Weida de Yongshi, and teacher of the Great Liberator.

_Worthless._

He swallowed thickly. With a subtle hand gesture, Fire Lord Zuko dismissed his guard before entering into his office. Dozens of scrolls had been piled high upon his desk, their contents full of government affairs. Though things had quieted, the Fire Nation still held a tenuous position since the end of the Hundred Year War. The Water Tribes had, for the most part, accepted Zuko's reign with relative grace. The Northern Water Tribe had demanded a formal apology and monetary recompense for the attempted siege and for the death of the moon spirit, along with the bodily demise of the revered Princess Yue. The Southern Water Tribe rightly claimed far more than their sister. The blame of their near-extinction still weighed heavily on his nation's shoulders, forcing Fire Lord Zuko to walk a thin line. To make amends for such a sin was honorable, but His Majesty had to do it without further crippling his own nation.

_Weak._

Blinking slowly, the Fire Lord sighed and moved to the balcony, bypassing the desk entirely. A warm summer breeze stole into his robes, billowing them as he wandered to the railing. The stars had begun dotting the sky above, though the moon had not yet made an appearance. Glancing down to the gardens below, he saw the three small figures of his children, their location revealed by sudden bursts of flame. With the eyes of a Master, he scrutinized their game, grimly noticing his eldest son wielded far less power than his siblings.

_Like his father. _

His eldest suddenly fell after attempting a move far beyond his ability. The other two pointed small fingers to laugh, joined quickly by their older brother. Zuko frowned at yet another demonstration of his boy's lackadaisical character. Failure wasn't amusing. His inferiority to his siblings should make him angry, should drive him to train, to work, to _fight_ harder. Why was he encouraging them to mock him?

_Another lucky one. . ._

His youngests bolted into the bushes, firing a teasing blast behind them. Rising to give chase, the boy's chin tipped up and froze as he noticed his father's presence. He visibly hesitated before raising a hand to his father and Lord. Zuko's face tightened in irritation and didn't gratify his lazy son with a response, harshly glaring down at his child. Stilling, the boy slowly lowered his arm and turned his gaze to the ground. He remained rooted for a breath before darting for the cover of the brambles. Zuko felt satisfaction lick his insides. His eldest continually disappointed him with his lack of soberness and respect. It was time the boy learned.

_And suffering would be his teacher._

With a look of sudden horror, Fire Lord Zuko, son of Ozai the Berserk, vomited over the railing. His father's laughter reverberated maddeningly in his mind.

* * *

A/N: Just something quick to get a foot in the door of the Avatar fandom. Thank you for taking the time to read this bit. Please review, I do like knowing what to work on!

I did take a few liberties as far as names go. Somehow, I doubt the citizens of the Nations refer to the Gaang as the Gaang. Something about it isn't very...dignified. So basically I went to Google translate, selected Chinese, and typed 'Great Warriors' and got Weida de Yongshi. Sounds a bit more acceptable. Hopefully no one finds that annoying. I also thought the world would want to give Aang an even longer name, so I figure they'd call him something along the lines of Avatar Aang, the Great Liberator. Again, something I took liberties on. And then I basically did the same for Ozai.

Also, though I'm sure you all figured it out, the italicized words/phrases are Zuko's inner Ozai.

Again, please review


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